Archive for thoughts
May 5, 2009 at 8:38 pm · Filed under daily, heart, thoughts
I’m having a hard time keeping up with my blogs. I remember back in the day when I had 3 million things to do everyday, such as a full-time job, and graduate school (which was seriously the most challenging thing I’ve done until I had a baby), and getting married, planning a wedding, moving, etc. Even during all of those periods in my life, I was still able to keep up with all my blogging. It wasn’t hard to do. I always had time, or always made time, to write in my sites because that was what kept me sane. My passion for writing never really left.
Until, well, until I had a baby. Suddenly, priorities shifted, and taking care of myself came second. I’m still balancing what it means to be my own woman and a wife and a mother all at the same time. Some days I think I have it down pat, and other days I feel like I’m struggling. What a big life change this has become. I mean, I always knew that, going into motherhood, but wow. I didn’t actually realize it until I was in the depths of it, y’know? I love this little bundle of joy so much that sometimes my body actually vibrates from all this love. And then before I know it, I’ve forgotten to eat, forgotten to sleep well, forgotten to do yoga (since October — ugh), etc.
I am absolutely, horridly jealous of Dave that he can stay home with Lily like this. I feel like I am missing out so much. However, I am also absolutely ecstatic that he has this time with her because the bond that he’s getting with her, just the two of them, is something so magical to witness. She just laughs and lights up when he enters the room. Before I went back to work full time, Lily’s world just consisted of “Mommy”… and now that Daddy takes care of her during the day for 4 days a week, she’s expanded that world to include him, and I love seeing how much trust she has in him, how much love she has for him, and how much excitement is in her eyes when she sees him. Nothing else warms a mother’s heart as much as seeing her child bond with her daddy.
(Are people already thinking of Black Friday sales? It’s not even summer yet!)
February 27, 2009 at 10:39 pm · Filed under thoughts
I’ve just started my new job — this was my first week, and today was my third day. I am beyond happy being at this new place. The people are friendly, the pay is awesome (almost twice as much as I was making), the work itself is ideal and realistic, the location is closer to home. In fact, pretty much everything sits well with me regarding this job so far. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it takes me away from Lily during the day, but that can’t be helped during these times: that’s what I have to do when I’m a working mother. It gives me comfort that she is at home with her Daddy, getting the best possible care that I can imagine outside of getting it from me.
These days, my priorities have definitely changed. Ah, the days of old, when my time can be spent on the internet, updating my 23423423 sites, and making new layouts like I change underwear (which is, by the way, everyday). Now, I can hardly find the energy to update any one of my sites more than maybe once a week. It’s what happens when priorities change, when I grow up, when different things matter. I still have my wonderful online friends, and I have my wonderful offline friends, and they all mean the world to me, and I try to keep in touch with each one of them on individual levels as much as I can.
The more I work in this field — defending the children, helping the poor, being useful to my community, being *part* of my community — the more I realize where exactly life happens. I saw a bumper sticker on this car today, while driving to work, and it said, “We are not human beings going through a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings going through a human experience.”
Isn’t it so true? No matter what part of the religious spectrum you belong in — from atheist to extreme Christian/Buddhist/Muslim/etc. — you are still a spiritual being. More than just flesh and bone and meat and organs. More than just a breath. There is a mind behind that breath, and soul behind that heartbeat. No one can deny that. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that each day of my existence needs to be made special. What am I doing to make this life better for not just me, but for all of those I love, and for those I cannot see or touch or even know about? It’s not just me in this life. It is my family, my friends, my neighbors, and yes, even the strangers I pass everyday. What am I doing that helps this universe become more balanced, more beautiful, more enriching? What am I doing, as a spiritual being, to improve upon the way we live, as a collective whole?
I can tell you one thing for sure. I am making a very conscious effort not to be bitchy, mean, heartless, cruel. At least not on purpose. Sure, I have my moments were I am angry with the world, where I fight with myself, where I want to scream and yell at how mistreated I feel. Sure, I have my moments where all I want to do is bitch and rant and be petty. But, I am happy to report, proud to report, that those days are becoming fewer and farther between. I am proud to be working to stop bullying in the community, the schools, the homes. I am proud to fight for the underdog. The abused. The neglected. I am proud to not be part of the problem.
And I stand up for what I believe in. I stand up for the rights of others as well as myself. So when I see an ex-friend of mine being just needlessly cruel, just for the sake of being cruel, it really upsets me. Most days, it doesn’t really, actually. But some days, it gets to me more than I would like. I am willing to admit that I too, am human and that I too, make petty mistakes and I too, can be as childish and irrational as the next bitch. But, what I will not own up to, because it is simply not true, is that I go *out of my way* to make others feel bad.
Xandy “Star” Litz Stevenson (aka Xandy Stevenson, aka Xandy Litz, aka Star Stevenson, Xandy Santa Agueda, “Genevieve Star” or whatever — man, this girl has so many aliases, it’s no wonder no one knows who she really is), who I used to call one of my very best friends (and I am not ashamed to admit it, nor would I ever discount it or deny it, either), is someone I am incredibly disappointed in. When we used to be close, which admittedly was quite some time ago — quite a few years ago, in fact — I thought she was one of my favorite people in the world. We got along well, we were two peas in a pod, she was someone I trusted, and I know I was someone she trusted. Well, like many good things, it came to an end. Without going into the details of why it came to an end (some of you already know, and others who don’t for sure already guessed, I imagine), I could safely say that hey, it was probably for the better. We didn’t end things on bad terms. I admittedly still visited her site(s) from time to time, just to see how she was doing. While some of her hobbies or opinions I did not agree with, I still respected her, and I still loved her, in a sense. I still remembered what it was like to have a good friend in her, and I was okay with that. I was okay with not having her actively in my life, because what I remember was good enough to hold me over.
Does that make any sense?
But, the key word here is: respectED. I no longer respect Xandy. Over the years, I gradually stopped checking up on her. Mostly because I became busy with life, with work, with getting married and making a baby and all that stuff. Partly also because I became bored with her reports of how much she spent (seriously, who cares?), and her snippets. Yes, her snippets.
And everything that went with the snippets. When she first started them, they were silly. Fun to read. Really entertaining. And general opinions about the nuances of the world that my lovely Xandy (“Star”) noticed. They were witty and intelligent. Some of them were even sweet. I remember commenting on many of them in the good ol’ days, when things were nice. When she wasn’t a bitch. A bitch on purpose, that is. I remember when she was respected and loved by her peers, and by me. I remember when the snippets were simply ramblings of everyday life (as she claims they are now, but they realistically aren’t). Now, they are mean. Cruel. Unnecessary. And just plain… disgusting.
Her disclaimer, which says they are merely universal rants, is even more disgusting. Her reasoning, her excuse, her rationale, for writing such hateful comments and putting such negative, toxic energy out into the universe is “laughable” (using one of her favorite words here) and untrue. How could any of these snippets be “universal ramblings”? How could any of them *not* be targeted at individual people unnecessarily? How could the mean ones even be excused to merely be a small display of her general dislike for the world from time to time?
Xandy claims that she is merely “venting” and “ranting” because she doesn’t want to hold anything in. It’s not healthy, after all. I can agree with that. I’m a therapist, after all. I encourage people to appropriately and healthily release their feelings to the world. Let it out. I’m a fan of laying it all on the table. But seriously, to do it in such a toxic, chemically disgusting way as the way Xandy does it is utterly uncalled for. It is unnecessarily cruel, and it is mean. And I just don’t like it.
Now, don’t get me wrong. You know probably as well as the next person that I can have the reputation for being unnecessarily blunt as well. But seriously, I can honestly say that during those moments when I *am* unnecessarily blunt, I am not doing so to make others feel bad. It isn’t my intention. I can tell you that much. And afterwards, I apologize for hurting anyone’s feelings. It’s not nice living with the label of “bitch.” Been there, done that. It’s easier and softer on the soul to be calm and collected, to be good to yourself and to others.
Snippets such as:
Sob, sob, cry, cry, piss & moan. Heard it all before!
How is that a “general” target at the universe? When I read this, and this is just ONE example, I get the distinct impression that Xandy here is talking directly to someone. Complaining about someone. Whining and pissing and moaning and sobbing and crying about someone in particular. Because really, why would anyone in their sane mind (or rather, Xandy’s sane mind) be complaining about the general universe sobbing and crying and pissing and moaning? Doesn’t make sense.
So I am left to conclude, alongside with so many other people who have talked with me — both her friends and her un-friends, mind you — that Xandy is lying in her disclaimer. That indeed, these are about real people. This is just a wimpy way of confronting them. And, when even her closest friends have doubts that these snippets may be about them — what is Xandy’s real goal in putting these negative vibes out there?
Now, I got the reports from several sources that in person, Xandy is a very sweet girl. I don’t doubt it. After all, I was once her friend. We even talked on the phone a few times. We sent care packages to each other. I never had any sort of complaint, and still don’t, that she was a very good friend to me. She was nothing if not polite, sweet, lovely, kind to me. I don’t doubt that she is like this in person. But, if so, why would she feel the need to be the exact polar opposite on the internet? Her favorite quote is: “Be who you are and say what you think because those that care don’t matter and those that matter don’t care.” (by Dr. Seuss) I love that quote. But, if she is to live by that quote, which is the real “her” then? Is it the sweet, loving, kind person who people know in “real life,” or is the bitch persona that she portrays herself as on the internet?
Who *is* she?
And, why would a real, sweet person take all this time to make herself one of the most hated figures on the internet?
I also hear that Xandy is a believer of The Secret. Being a fan of it myself (after all, my mindmirror site is based off of its foundation), I don’t understand how she is living up to its fundamental and core standards. If Xandy is a believer of The Secret, wouldn’t she be wanting to visualize and ask for GOOD things in her life? Thus, in turn, wouldn’t she be projecting beautiful, positive, wonderful things into the universe, so that she can receive them right back into her own life? Would she be putting toxins out there, so that she can receive toxins in her life? Because with these snippets, that’s all that her karma is inviting, isn’t it? She’s just inviting hate into her life. She’s inviting “sob, sob, whine, whine” into her life. And judging from all the hate that I’ve seen directed at her, she’s got exactly what she has been asking for: stalkers and haters.
I am so ashamed now, to have called her my friend. Once upon a time, this person was someone I respected and was one of the first people I can’t wait to talk with and share my secrets with. Now, she is nothing but a hated figure. A figure who projects negativity, hatred, toxins into her life and the lives of those around her. A person who has “stalkers” (who don’t stalk her because they love her, but who stalk her because they can’t wait to see her fail and fall on her face) and haters (who hate her because she hates others). A person who has “enemies” at the age of 30. A person who is living her life just to “spite” other people. A person who is staying in a failed and broken marriage to “show up” the others, to prove them wrong. A person who can’t be happy in her own skin unless she is making other people unhappy.
That makes me sad. I stay away now, but it haunts me from time to time. It makes me sad that I’ve known someone like this. It makes me sad that she’s changed so much over the years. It makes me sad that she can’t be happy with just who she is inside. It makes me sad that she’s blackening her good name by being someone so ugly. It makes me sad that she has so many people who hate her, because the person I knew once upon a time was a beautiful, sweet person. A person I wouldn’t mind getting to know again if chance permits. It makes me sad that she can’t trust herself, let alone trust anyone else, to come close enough to her to love her unconditionally. It makes me sad that she is pushing people away so they can’t hurt her. It makes me sad that when I try to look the other way, she is hurting my friends. It sometimes makes me angry too, but mostly, it makes me sad.
And all I can really do, I suppose, is not play the game. I don’t like the snippets, so I won’t do them myself. This is why I’ve named names. I don’t like the game that is being played, so I’m not playing it. This will be the only post I make about this. I just had to get it off my chest. Because I don’t like the games being played, and I will not be one to make “random” snippets like her. I can only, from now on, wish her well, and try my best not to be so angry and sad. I will also, as hard as it is sometimes, send positive energy out there for her. Because it looks like she needs it more now than she ever has before.
I see so many beautiful people out there. People who are struggling everyday but go out of their way to make other people feel good. I see strangers helping strangers. I see people being treated fairly when there really isn’t any other reason to except that it’s the right thing to do. I see people doing small, but great things. I see homeless people helping children. I see hookers having self-respect. I see so many good things. And it makes me sad that sometimes, I also see the bad, mean things.
But, all I can do is what I can do. No more, no less.
January 12, 2009 at 12:19 am · Filed under daily, heart, thoughts
Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated the site. Like, really updated, and not just dorky little mini-memes that don’t really say much about how I’ve been doing. Heh. The holidays are over now, and I’m still adjusting to getting back to the daily norm and the weekly routine. My sister visited for a week during Christmas week, and then I had about 4 days reprieve to recover (haha) before my brother visited for another week, with his girlfriend. They just left yesterday. I’m having a hard time playing catch-up. However, it was really, really nice to see them again. It seems that as time goes on, we change more and more. I feel like with every visit I have with them (since we live so far away from each other now: me in B.C. Canada and them in North Carolina), I am re-learning who they are as people, as individuals, as adults. Sometimes I see the semblance of days gone past, when we were all still little kids playing in the back yard, or bike riding in our neighborhood in California. Now, it seems like those days of old are so far away. At the time, they seemed like they would never end. Long summer days where we would ride our bikes to get away from our parents. Hanging out with George and Marian across the street (who have both passed on by now). Catching bugs during the summer together and raking leaves during the autumn together.
And now, the littlest one, my sister, is in college, old enough to legally drink. The middle one, my brother, is living on his own, making his own living. The oldest one, me, is married with a baby. How did all this happen so quickly? How did we all grow up so fast? Lily not only made a mother out of me, but an uncle out of Eddie and an auntie out of Sophia. Wasn’t it just yesterday that Sophia was Lily’s age and I was changing her diapers, albeit begrudgingly? Now, Eddie and Sophie hold onto Lily and speak baby language to her, laugh with her, play with her, and I think, “Wow… we’ve moved to become another generation.”
Sometimes time passes by so quickly. Nothing really stays the same. Things change, people change, age continues on. Sometimes, I wish I was still 10 years old, my brother 5 years old and my sister only 3 years old, and we were still underneath that low lemon tree in the back yard, playing a game that enabled us to, just for a little while, live in a far-off fantasy land where fairies and magical elves existed. But if I blink too fast, I am suddenly back here, in the present time, age 28, married, and babied. And I’m making new memories with my own little girl, helping her build imaginary worlds where her own fairies and her own elves talk to her and sing her songs.
Wow. I feel old all of a sudden.
December 1, 2008 at 9:20 am · Filed under thoughts
Okay, let me take a moment to whine about some stresses. There are a couple of things I’m waiting on, but I’ll only talk about one for now. Finances. This holiday season is very difficult for us. It is so true that people live within their means. When you don’t have money (I would much rather, right now, work part time to spend more time with Lily at home in her formative months than work full time and make more money), the Christmas season is just a tad sad. The pressure to stay in the race with consumerism is hard. I feel the pressure to be able to buy all the things our nieces and nephews want for Christmas. Showing up on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to the family dinner without presents for the nieces and nephews when everyone else is able to give them something would be such a heartbreaking experience for them. We can’t do that. But goodness, we can barely afford to pay all our bills this month. It’s hard on us right now.
Times like these, I can appreciate those who don’t celebrate Christmas. While I love the joy and the togetherness of the holiday, the pressure to buy buy buy and give give give all the material things, especially for little kids, is absolutely ridiculous. When you’re older and you’re a “wise” adult, you see that it’s not what you get for Christmas, it’s the coming together that counts. But kids are brainwashed in our society to believe that Christmas is Santa Claus and Santa Claus is presents. Heck, I remember that as a child, that was what I believed and since our family didn’t celebrate Christmas, I just figured Santa forgot about me every year. It’s a sad way to live for a child.
Christmas is complicated. It’s a confusing holiday, and I think that capitalist consumers and advertisers make it complicated for just this reason: they want to confuse us and brainwash us into thinking that in order to have the lovely “togetherness” that we so desire, we also have to buy buy buy. Lots and lots of toys and gadgets and gizmos that will be forgotten about just a year later, so that we can do it all over again.
When you have money and you can afford it, Christmas isn’t so bad. In fact, it’s actually FUN. I loooove shopping for other people. I love making gifts for people. I love giving people things that I know they would enjoy and love. I love seeing the faces of our nieces and nephews when they open their presents on the eve and the day. I just love all that. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve fallen prey to the Christmas idealism and the consumerism as well. It’s just that… it becomes a lot more transparent when you’re struggling. With the economy down, and people getting laid off, and the Canadian dollar not doing so well, and everything else compounded, sometimes all I want to do during this season is run and hide and sleep it off until January gets here.
Because we all know, there are so many other things we need to pay for, like key man insurance and car payments and electric bills and water and sewer and trash and cable and and and… What do I do with this knowledge that Christmas is a trap? Just grind my teeth, save every single penny we have, and buy buy buy until we drop. Then hope and work towards the next year and hope that it will be easier.
November 30, 2008 at 1:38 pm · Filed under interests, thoughts
I read this in the waiting room at my doc’s office last month. It really puts everything in perspective.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in this world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in this world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.
Have a good day, and count your blessings!
November 16, 2008 at 11:04 am · Filed under daily, thoughts
Wonderful Liz had asked me how I was doing in a previous post, and I realized that I haven’t at all made an effort to update my readers (all 3 of you! ha!) about how I’m personally doing in a long, long time. Yesterday, in yoga, the class was concentrated on the notion of taking time for yourself and “refilling” yourself up so that you have more of you to give to everyone who demands so much of you on a regular basis. I realize then, on a deeper level, that all week long, I just do everything that is needed of me to do. Most of it revolves around my home and my family, and especially my Lily Bean. I’m running around like a crazy woman doing chores, cleaning the house, researching cloth diapers (I think we finally found a solution!!), taking care of her besides just playing with her and talking with her, etc. etc. etc. And then on work days, I spend all this time taking care of other people — my clients who need me. Making phone calls to court houses, testifying against child molesters, consulting with social workers and lawyers and other therapists, etc. etc. etc. All to make sure that my clients get what they need. And by the end of the day, I am exhausted to the bone. I barely have time anymore to read before bed because I’m too exhausted to even pick up the book. And I miss reading.
So yesterday in yoga was something special because I really concentrated on just “being Helen.” Nothing to do except take care of my body and breathe into my sore muscles and veins. Nothing to do but deep, self gratitude. It was so needed because when I came back home, I was greeted with a smiling husband and a giggling baby, and I couldn’t be happier. I felt like suddenly I had more of myself to give because I took that time to take care of myself.
We always have to take care of ourselves. Outside of doing everything else, from looking up home insurance policies to filling out surveys and applications to doing the laundry, we just need to take a breather and sometimes do what WE want to do. For ourselves.
November 15, 2008 at 11:08 pm · Filed under thoughts
Ever since I’ve gone back to work (even if just on a part-time basis), I’ve been more motivated to become involved in politics, social events, and my community both locally, nationally, and globally. I suppose the elections last week had a bit to do with it too. This election year was something huge for me. On election day, I was officially made a Canadian resident. That same day, while the majority of the country was voting for our first black president in history, I was given my legal paperwork to live and work in Canada. It has been a move that was a long time coming.
When I first met Dave, and when we became “serious” and started talking about living together, moving in together, eventually getting married, making plans towards a family, etc., we talked about who was going to move where and how it was going to be done. At first, he was going to try to move into the states to be with me. The first couple of years of Bushism wasn’t so bad. The country wasn’t so polarized and people didn’t live in fear. I was pretty ignorant to what the government was doing. It wasn’t a big deal to live in America because I was happy in my own little world. When you’re happy, it’s hard to imagine other people having problems.
And then, shit hit the fan on 9-11. Everything changed. I became more nationally aware, more globally aware, and what I found out disgusted me. Dave and I seriously talked about me moving up to Canada instead, because we couldn’t picture ourselves growing a life together in a country that was, at the time, run with fascist ideals and religious values. Thus started my long-time plan to move to Canada.
Everything changed over time. My views became more acute, my opinions became more vocalized, my stance became more extreme. I will be the first to admit that I am biased, but given where I come from and who I work with and the environment I was raised in and the people I have come to know and love, one could understand why I have socialist ideals. And then after getting a taste of how people lived in Canada, I was appalled that America has for so long gotten away with the capitalist system that we’ve been living under. For so long, I was taught in school to believe that as long as I worked hard enough, I would earn my share of the nation’s wealth, and I would be taken care of. And then I started meeting people who fell through the cracks of such promises. And suddenly, I was meeting a lot of people. People who were working so hard and getting so little. People who were forgotten by their government’s promises. People who didn’t deserve to be homeless and jobless. Suddenly, the “white pickett fence” dream didn’t seem so real anymore. Didn’t so achievable anymore. At least not for so many of us.
Over time, my views became even more polarized from the norm. I didn’t see how someone working 60 hours a week just to make ends meet and feed their families was “less than” someone who worked 20 hours a week as the boss of a corporation, paying himself hundreds of thousands of dollars for telling people what to do. I didn’t see how one person can be “less deserving” because they struggle more. Happiness is so relative, and I am unimpressed by status. The more people I met, the more I realized that we all deserve, under the same “God,” the same universe, the same sky, the same things in life. We deserve basic shelter, basic healthcare (what is a pain pump??), basic education. We deserve all of those. I don’t care if a man is homeless and on drugs. He deserves basic healthcare to live, and the opportunity to education.
And thus, my socialist ideals were born. I didn’t know it was called “socialism” at the time though. I just knew that I was seeing a lot of people who were struggling from day to day, who didn’t deserve to be struggling from day to day, and I knew that there must be another way. And when I came to Canada, just on a visitor’s status at first, I saw what the majority of other people all over the world saw already: a nation that was willing and able to use their tax dollars to actually take care of their own.
And thus, my ideals became stronger, more powerful. I decided to talk to people about these views I had. And I realized I wasn’t alone. In fact, a socialist country is based on the concept of Utopia. Where everyone works equally — no one over-working or under-working — and everyone getting the basic needs met. It’s a lovely idea. It discourages greed and capitalist swindling from the rich down to the poor. Likewise, it discourages laziness and indifference and discompassion.
And I strongly believe in Gandhi’s phrase, “Be the change you wish to see.” And thus, I have been working and living under this phrase. I would love to live in a Utopian country. I know it doesn’t exist, as with every government and its country, like the U.S., there are flaws. But I, like so many of the world’s population outside of the U.S., am working on a Utopian society in my own way. I’m not afraid of giving some of what I have to someone who works just as hard as I am and sees less reward than I do.
And thus, this has led me to voting for Obama.
But I digress.
November 10, 2008 at 11:48 pm · Filed under daily, interests, thoughts
This is interesting. I was doing some research to compare the U.S.’s capitalistic/market economy versus other developed countries’ socialistic governments, and I came across this. Doesn’t it make you want to move to a socialist country? I’m so glad I live in Canada now. Vancouver, BC, Canada, by the way, was voted #3 best place in the world to live. Woo!!
Why Socialism Works
Lets compare the neocons favorite target country France and the U.S.
Population :France 63,000,000
U.S. 300,000,000
GDP (official exchange rate):France $2.154 trillion
U.S. $13.22 trillion (2006 est.)
Growth rate:France 2.4%
U.S. 2.1% (2007 1RST QUTR.)
Budget:revenues:France $1.15 trillion
expenditures: $1.211 trillion
(This means the French government has $1.15
trillion to spend on only 63 million people.
We have only twice that much to spend on 300
million people.Almost 5 times as many people.
This explains why they have no potholes,can
afford universal health care and a 350+ mph train system.)
revenues:U.S. $2.409 trillion
expenditures: $2.66 trillion
Currency reserves:France $74,360,000,000
U.S. $86,940,000,000
Public debt:France 64.7% of GDP
$3,461,000,000,000 Trillion
U.S.64.7% of GDP
$8,825,000,000,000 Trillion
Deficit:France $58.8 billion
(By law Soc.Sec. funds can’t be spent
for anything but Soc.Sec.)
U.S. $760 billion (SOC.SEC. and Iraq funding
money spent but not counted in deficit.
350 billion +)
Military spending:France $46 Billion (3RD)
U.S. $276 Billion (1RST)
Gross National Income
(per capita):France $30,693.70
U.S. $43,144.30
(This doesn’t take into account Americans work an
extra 400 Hrs.per year for the extra income.)
Unemployment Rate:France 8%
(This is a bit misleading since most young
adults in France 16-26 don’t work but go
to school full-time)
U.S. 4.8%
Unemployment pay:France 57% For 22 Months
(75% For low Income)
U.S. 48% For 6 Months
Worker Productivity per hr:France $35 Per Hour (#2)
U.S. $32 Per Hour (#4)
(This blows away the myth that
socialism makes workers lazy.)
Population below
poverty line:France 6.2%
(Lowest for industrial countries)
U.S. 14%
Population below
median Income:France 8%
U.S. 17%
Inflation rate:France 1.5%
U.S. 2.5%
Average Work Week:France 35 Hours
U.S. 46 Hours
Minimum Wage:France $9.50
U.S. $5.15
Comparative price
levels by country:France 94
U.S. 109
(OECD AVE.=100, LESS THAN 100=Cheaper cost of living)
Vacation :France 7 weeks average
(5 Weeks minimum paid, by law)
U.S. 13 days average (source Infoplease)
Health Care:France Ranked #1
U.S. Ranked #37 (W.H.O. 2001)
Population gov.covered:France 99%
U.S. 40% (15% have no coverage.)
source (U.S. CENSUS BUREAU)
gov. cost per person :France $3,048
U.S. $5,711
yearly gov. cost growth:France 2.3%
U.S. 3.2%
Life expectancy:France 72 years
U.S. 69 years
Infant mortality rate:France 4.31 per 1,000
U.S. 10.4 per 1,000
Paid Maturnity leave:France 1 Year up to 3 for 3 children
U.S. none
GOV. pay for children:France 2 $480, 3 $960 Per month
(%40 Discount on publicTransit,Pools,etc.)
U.S. $0
Daycare:France 1-3 Free 3+ School
U.S. $400+ Per month,Per Child
Education:France free Preschool through College
U.S. Free Kindergarten-Through 12th Grade
Retirement age:France Average 59 Yrs old
U.S average 67 yrs old
Total crimes 2006:France 3,771,850
U.S. 23,677,800
Teen Pregnancy:France 17,985 births (2006)
U.S. 494,357 births (2006)
SIDE NOTES:
In France almost all workers get Saturday off and
Even more get Sunday off.
Additional
—-sources:
—–CIA world fact book
—–Nation Master
—–WIKIPEDIA
—–http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article
—–/2006/10/17/AR2006101701652.html
—–http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4856992.stm
—–http://www.kff.org/insurance/snapshot/chcm010307oth.cfm
—–http://www.easyexpat.com/paris_en/work_unemployment-benefits.htm
—–World Health Organisation
—–Personal Information
November 5, 2008 at 4:02 pm · Filed under interests, thoughts
So yes, Obama won. I was on a huge high yesterday. I, among so many Americans out there, was desperate for change, and I was also cynical that this change was going to come. Hopeful, but cynical. This is the first time in my voting history that I am actually excited for a presidential candidate, and I am excited that he got elected. In fact, he won by a landslide. A landslide, people!! It wasn’t even “close.” It wasn’t as close as the last two elections, which were stolen by the Republican right-wing. This one was won fair and square, and I couldn’t be more proud.
I was one of those people who threatened to move to Canada after Bush got elected the last time around. I am one of them who actually made the move. Yesterday not only marked the official day of this election, it also marked the official day I made my move legal. I’m officially a Canadian resident. I still have the right to vote in the U.S., and I vote I did. But, as I took seriously what so many hateful Americans told me to do four years ago when I complained about Bush being in office for another 4 years, I simply “left.” However, from a distance, I am still promoting change in America, and I couldn’t be more proud.
The last eight years confirmed my final progression to Canada. It also confirmed, without a shadow of a doubt, that Dave and I would be bringing our children into this world on Canadian soil instead of U.S. soil. The last eight years changed me a lot. It changed the way I identified myself and it changed the way I looked at America. Now, hopefully, the next four years and so forth will help mend this view.
Since Obama’s victory, I have seen and read and heard a lot of weird things from the right-wingers and those who voted for McCain. While I can’t understand (and probably never will, no matter how hard I may try) their reason to vote for McCain, I respect their votes nonetheless. What remains strange, though, is the reasoning some of them give for voting for McCain. I hear that Obama only won because he is “black.”
Seriously? We’re pulling the race card? While watching McCain’s defeat speech last night, the camera showed two people in his fan audience who appeared to be a father-and-son team of skinheads. The father was pissed off, and he was holding his toddler son in his arms. Of course, I cannot confirm that these two were in fact skinheads and rioting for hate crimes against ethnic minorities. However, the thought of this scares me. Having an African American for president is a big deal because I didn’t think we were ready to have anyone other than an old white dude. In all our progression, we haven’t progressed that far yet. But, as important as it is, it is not as important as his policies, and I respect this man and his policies way more than I respect the color of his skin. After all, he is just as “white” as he is “black,” having his mother being white and his father being black. So no, race is not an issue in this election for me. It is an issue in America because we’re still much more backwards than we would like to believe. I mean, 45 years ago, black people couldn’t even vote, and now we have a black president. Of course it is important. But more than anything else, he is a genuine man, a man of the people, a man who remembers that just because you’re “rich” doesn’t mean the poor deserves to be poor.
And then there are the others who say that “non-Christian values” got elected into office this term. First feeling: anger. Second feeling: “What the HELL does that mean??” At the risk of getting too political, really, people, explain this to me. Other than the fact that I am not a Christian, I would have thought that I too have “Christian values,” except well, I call them simply “morals.” What are these “Christian” values that Christians have that I don’t? I don’t get it.
Thou art not kill?
Thou art not commit adultery?
Thou art not be stupid and hurt other people?
Thou art be kind to thy neighbor?
Thou art help people as much as thou can?
I think I am a good person, with good values, with good morals. The fact that I am not religious doesn’t take away this fact at all, in my belief. These “Christian” values normal people call simply “morals.” I do not need the fear of God in me to lead me to be a good person, with good morals and values, albeit Christian or Olympian or Buddhist.
But if you will, please explain to me what these “Christian values” are that I may be lacking merely because I’m not a Christian. I just don’t get it. Maybe I’m ignorant or something?
And correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Obama announce that he IS a religious man, that he does believe in God and that he is a Christian? How, then, are Christian values not elected in this time? Is it because he’s a Democrat? Or left-wing? Or that he helps the poor and believes in small business? Or that he has “socialist values,” heaven forbid? That he wants to help everyone and not just people who are willing to be capitalists? What is it about these these “Christian values” that are so sought after?
Thirdly, wait a minute, isn’t there a specific thing in the American legislation that states “separation of church and state”? If so, what does it matter that the president is religious or not? Christian or Muslim? Atheist, even? *gasp*
Fourth, seeing as how Bush was such a “Christian” man and what a crappy job he did in 8 years (count the innocent civilian lives he helped murder in the Middle East, the thousands of American soldiers who were killed by enemy AND friendly fire, the vast economic deficit accumulated over the last 8 years, and the list goes on), isn’t it time for a change, then? Isn’t it safe to say, by logical deduction, that perhaps we don’t need more “Christian values” in the White House?
I am set to remember over the next four years that it will take longer than four years to fix all the crap that Bush did to this country. The separation, the polarization, the enemies we’ve made overseas, the terrorists we helped create, the wars we’ve created, the laws that have vastly excluded the down trodden (but hey, they don’t deserve any of our love or sympathy because they’re all a bunch of lazy Democrats who want free handouts anyway!), etc. etc. Here’s hoping Obama can make even a slither of change that we need. And perhaps we can vote him in for another round of change.
October 27, 2008 at 8:23 am · Filed under daily, thoughts
*yawn* Where do weeks go now, anyway? All of a sudden, it’s Monday again, and it’s the start of another work week. I have three solid cases now, so I’m “full time” in my own terms. Can’t take anymore. I want to dedicate most of my time to being home with Lily Bean, even though Dave is home full time. Can’t stay away from her for too long. Also not a good idea to be too immersed in work. I need my sanity to deal with cloth diaper issues and spit up and stuff like that, don’tcha know?
Life is gratefully very simple. Everyday is predictable, everyday is exciting in its predictability. I could not be asking for more. I don’t want “more.” This is it. This is what I’ve been working towards. All of a sudden, I turn around and I’m turning 28 in a few days, and I’ve got so much to show for it. A great husband, a beautiful and intelligent and calm daughter, a satisfying career, my good health, great family, awesome friends. What more can a girl ask for? Just enough money to pay the bills and a little on the side for play, and we’re all set to go. It’s a good life. Everything else is icing on the cake, and everything else isn’t too necessary. Like skin acne products and clothes (really, if you think about it, we just need about 7 outfits and we’re set!) and shoes shoes shoes and purses and bags. Those things are just… stuff. Stuff I can live without and stuff I wouldn’t be taking with me in case of fire. That’s what you gotta think about.
It’s a good way to live, to remind yourself the important things in life. The people, the minimal “stuff.” Ask yourself: in case of a fire, what would I take out with me in the minimal time that I have? Those are the things you need, and everything else is just “stuff.” For me, outside of making sure everything that can breathe and cuddle are safe outside of the burning house, it’s my hard drive (photos and journal entries galore!),… and that’s about it. I can’t see taking anything else with me that is that important. So everything I accumulate outside of my photos and writing in my hard drive is just “icing.”
So there ya go. It’s a good way to live. A grateful, simple life.
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